Greater New Orleans

Baltimore Orioles' Nelson Cruz (23) swings on a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 3, 2014, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)
(Sharon Ellman)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nelson Cruz hit a towering three-run homer in his return to Texas and the Baltimore Orioles won their third straight game, 8-3 over the Rangers on Tuesday night.

Cruz drove the first pitch from Shawn Tolleson deep into the left-field seats, capping a six-run Orioles outburst in the eighth. The slugger, who spent the previous eight seasons in Texas, is hitting .313 and leads the majors with 21 homers and 55 RBIs.

Adam Jones matched a career high with four hits, including a homer off the right-field pole leading off the Baltimore fourth. Rookie catcher Caleb Johnson had a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth.

Brian Matusz (2-1) went 1 2-3 innings in relief of Ubaldo Jimenez, who held Texas to one run and four hits while striking out five over 5 2-3 innings.

Alexi Ogando (2-3), the second Texas reliever, got a popup to start the eighth before allowing three straight Orioles to reach.

WHITE SOX 4, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jose Abreu homered for the second straight game and Tyler Flowers also went deep to lead Chicago.

Yasiel Puig went 2 for 4 with a double for the Dodgers on the one-year anniversary of his major league debut.

Hector Noesi (1-3) ended a stretch of 19 winless starts, winning as a starter for the first time since May 6, 2012 with Seattle, after going 0-12 with a 5.42 ERA. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed a run and five hits over six innings with six strikeouts.

Former Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

Dan Haren (5-4) gave up four runs on six hits through six innings.

ATHLETICS 5, YANKEES 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Moss hit his second homer of the game leading off the 10th inning, and Oakland rallied for the road win.

Returning to the lineup after missing two games with a strained right calf, Moss drilled a full-count pitch from Adam Warren (1-3) into the second deck down the right field line for his 15th homer. That gave the AL West-leading A's their first lead in a game that was delayed more than an hour at the start by rain.

Dan Otero (5-1) pitched an inning and Sean Doolittle finished off the A's fourth straight win with a perfect 10th for his sixth save.

Mark Teixeira hit his 10th homer for the Yankees.

TWINS 6, BREWERS 4

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Josh Willingham hit a three-run homer and Minnesota beat Milwaukee in a game delayed when a fan fell into the Brewers' bullpen.

The game was held up at the start of the eighth inning after the man fell. He was carried on a stretcher out of the bullpen in left-center field, and the Brewers said he was conscious and alert.

The man had a brace around his neck as he was put on a cart on the warning track. He was wheeled off and taken to a hospital.

Willingham connected in the third off Yovani Gallardo (3-4) for a 4-1 lead. Samuel Deduno (2-3) got the win and Glen Perkins earned his 15th save.

ROYALS 8, CARDINALS 7

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Eric Hosmer hit a tiebreaking single off closer Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth inning and Kansas City earned its second straight road victory in the four-game, two-city series.

Rookie Kolten Wong's first career home run was a grand slam in the second that ended the Cardinals' 20-inning scoreless drought and gave them an early four-run cushion. The defending National League champions finished a dismal 2-7 homestand when their pitchers faltered.

Peter Bourjos' 422-foot homer put the Cardinals ahead 7-6 in the sixth. Alcides Escobar's bloop RBI single off Pat Neshek tied it in the eighth.

Omar Infante doubled off Rosenthal (0-3) with one out in the ninth ahead of Hosmer's hit.

Wade Davis (5-1) got the win and Greg Holland worked the ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances.

In his first season with the Tigers, Nathan's ERA is now an unsightly 6.86 after he was charged with four runs Tuesday.

PIRATES 4, PADRES 1

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker hit home runs to back Gerrit Cole's solid outing for Pittsburgh.

Cole (6-3) limited the Padres to one run and four hits while striking out six in 5 2-3 innings as the Pirates went to 6-1 in his last seven starts. Pittsburgh won its third straight game and 10th in its last 14.

Jason Grilli pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his ninth save.

Jesse Hahn (0-1) lasted 2 2-3 innings in his major league debut. He allowed four runs on six hits, including the homers by Alvarez and Walker, striking out five with two walks.

The Padres lost for the third consecutive time and sunk a season-high seven games under .500.

NATIONALS 7, PHILLIES 0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jordan Zimmermann rebounded from a mini-slump to throw eight crisp innings for Washington, and Ryan Zimmerman hit a pair of doubles and handled two chances with aplomb in his debut in left field.

Zimmermann (4-2) allowed five hits and struck out four, recovering well from four middling starts that had raised his usually impeccable ERA to 4.07. He got all the support he needed when the Nationals scored three in the third inning off David Buchanan (1-2), making his third career start.

Zimmerman went 2 for 4 with one RBI after being reinstated before the game following 44 games on the disabled list with a broken right thumb.

REDS 8, GIANTS 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Devin Mesoraco hit a two-run homer and Jay Bruce emerged from a slump by driving in a pair of runs, leading Cincinnati to a season-high fourth straight win.

Mesoraco hit his ninth homer off Tim Lincecum (4-5), who has beaten the Reds during the playoffs but never during the regular season. Bruce, who spent time on the disabled list following surgery for torn knee cartilage, knocked in his first run since April 25.

Homer Bailey (6-3) went six innings in his first game against the Giants since his no-hitter against them last July 2 at Great American Ball Park. The right-hander gave up three runs and five hits, including Hunter Pence's homer, double and single.

ASTROS 7, ANGELS 2

HOUSTON (AP) — Jon Singleton homered in his major league debut for Houston.

Jason Castro and Robbie Grossman drove in two runs apiece as the Astros took the lead with a five-run third inning.

The Angels were done in by C.J. Wilson's lack of control. Wilson (6-5) walked a season-high five batters, including four in the third, in just 2 2-3 innings.

Josh Hamilton had a solo homer in the eighth inning in his return from the disabled list after breaking his left thumb on April 8. Fellow Angels outfielder Mike Trout was back after missing two games with a stiff back, but left in the second inning with more back trouble.

Collin Cowgill replaced Trout and homered in the eighth.

Houston starter Collin McHugh (4-3) allowed two hits over five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.52.

METS 2, CUBS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Coghlan homered in the eighth and Nate Schierholtz hit a game-ending RBI single for the Cubs.

Curtis Granderson had three hits for the Mets and drove in their run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. The Mets failed to win a season-high four straight games.

Hector Rondon (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

Anthony Rizzo led off the bottom of the ninth with a single off Scott Rice (1-2). After New York third baseman David Wright was unable to turn a hard-hit grounder into a double play, Schierholtz pulled a liner into the right-field corner.

Evans' solo shot in the fourth was his first homer since Sept. 3, 2011, when he was with the New York Mets. Four pitches later, Owings hit another off Jorge De La Rosa (6-4).

Anderson (4-0) didn't overpower the Rockies so much as keep them guessing, throwing six effective innings in his longest outing since he was recalled from Triple-A Reno on May 6. He becomes the fifth rookie since 1998 to win his opening four starts.